El Clásico is the match that generates the most buzz in terms of LaLiga teams. The rivalry between Barça and Real Madrid makes these matches particularly important, especially when titles are at stake. In the coming days, we will see two such matches, with the Copa del Rey and LaLiga at stake, which will be key in determining whether Barça will achieve the treble or whether Real Madrid will save their season and not end it empty-handed.
The first of these matches will be the Copa del Rey final, which will be played this Saturday at La Cartuja stadium in Seville (10:00 p.m.). Both teams are coming into the match in very different form, with many tipping Barça as favorites for this reason, but it should be remembered that Real Madrid always rises to the occasion in finals and history is on their side.
Barça and Real Madrid are playing in what will be their eighth Cup final: one under the name of Copa de la República (1936), two Copas del Generalísimo (1968 and 1974) and the remaining five as Copa de SM el Rey (1983, 1990, 2011, 2014 and 2025).
Previous Clásicos in the Copa
The first of the seven finals was played in 1936. The final was played on June 21 at Mestalla, just under a month before the start of the war, and Real won 2-1. In 1968, the second Copa final between Real Madrid and Barça was played, when the finals were held in Madrid. That ‘Copa del Generalísimo’ was played on July 11, 1968. Barça won thanks to an own goal by Real Madrid’s Zunzunegui.
The third Cup final, also known as the ‘Copa del Generalísimo’, was won in 1974 by Real Madrid at the Vicente Calderón Stadium in Madrid, beating Barça 4-0. The fourth Cup final, now named the Copa del Rey, was played at La Romareda in Zaragoza on June 4, 1983. Barça won 2-1.
In the 1990 Cup final, Barça and Real Madrid met at Mestalla on April 5. Barça won, to the surprise of many, as Madrid had been on a roll with ‘La Quinta del Buitre’. The 2011 Cup final once again saw Real Madrid and Barça face each other at Mestalla. The Whites won 1-0 with a goal in extra time from Cristiano Ronaldo.
The last final between Real Madrid and Barça was also played at Mestalla. It was on April 15, 2014, and the Whites won again. Di María scored and Bartra equalized in the second half, but a memorable run by Bale, who beat the Barça goalkeeper, made it 2-1 for Madrid.